We had earlier reported that Chiranjeevi’s 153rd film will be the Telugu remake of the blockbuster Malayalam film, Lucifer. While it was speculated that VV Vinayak would direct the film, it has now come to light that director Mohan Raja, who made his directorial debut with Hanuman Junction (2001), will return to the Telugu industry with this film.
The filmmaker took to Twitter to share the news along with a photo with the veteran actor. “We’ve made quite some changes to the remake and the updated script has been completed. The film will go on floors from the second half of January. We’re yet to finalise the rest of the cast and crew,” says Mohan Raja who feels ecstatic about working with Chiranjeevi.
“It was a little tough to crack the changes necessary for the Telugu version but whatever we did was loved by him. Right from the first meet, he was excited about the script. Incidentally, in 1997, my father produced Hitler starring Chiranjeevi sir and I worked as an assistant director in that film. He remembered those times and is happy with what I’ve done over the years.
He also said that he loves Thani Oruvan. He mentioned that he was keen on doing an updated film and he has given me a lot of freedom to do a fresh version of Lucifer.” Speaking about returning to Telugu cinema for the first time in almost two decades, Mohan Raja says, “What’s been a blessing in disguise is the fact that though I haven’t directed a Telugu film in a long time, I have always been close to the industry.
I had remade six Telugu films and that has psychologically kept me close to Telugu cinema. Moreover, people still remember Hanuman Junction and it was a huge hit when it came out. With that knowledge and experience, I am confident in doing a wonderful film now.”